Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Further Reading

[NOTE: Department Spokesman Richard Boucher conducted press briefings while in Thurmont, Maryland, for the Camp David Peace Talks, July 2000]

Richard BoucherDepartment SpokesmanPress Briefing at Thurmont Elementary SchoolReleased by the Office of the SpokesmanThurmont, Maryland, July 12, 2000

MR. BOUCHER: All right. Let's see. First thing, I'm not in a position
to deal with any Middle Eastern issues, anything involving the talks, so
anybody who boarded the wrong airplane, this is your chance to deplane.
This plane ain't going to the Middle East.

All right. We're as ready as we are. I'm just going to mention Phil is
putting out a statement on the Pakistan sea turtle conservation and shrimp
import quota. I can read you every word slowly if you'd like.

QUESTION: Richard, how about Peru?

MR. BOUCHER: How about Peru.

QUESTION: Senator Coverdale has introduced legislation to affect foreign aid to Peru
based on their lack of movement toward democracy. You've got wire reports
from Mr. Schweid today, he is not moving forward very quickly toward his
promises of democracy.

QUESTION: Did he promise?

QUESTION: He promises to take steps.

QUESTION: Promised to consider them.

QUESTION: Anyway, more of the focus on the Coverdell legislation.

MR. BOUCHER: I don't have a position for you on the Coverdell legislation,
per se. I do want to say that the Peruvian Government did agree to a
dialogue and our position continues to be one of urging all the parties in
Peru in the political process to work cooperatively on a dialogue about
reform. We are pleased to note there has been the appointment of a
Dominican Foreign Minister, Eduardo Latorre on July 11, as the permanent
secretary to the OAS mission in Peru. And he is going to oversee the
process of dialogue and reform. He is a distinguished expert on
international affairs. We look forward to his contributions.

QUESTION: So are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the case?

MR. BOUCHER: We are continuing to press for a dialogue and we think this is
the chance to have it.

QUESTION: Richard, do you have anything on the talks breaking down in Malaysia --

QUESTION: Breaking down is not a word we use.

QUESTION: Stalled?

QUESTION: They've demanded a billion dollars. Unless you guys are prepared to give
it, I would call that a breakdown.

QUESTION: Blackmail.

QUESTION: Would you characterize it as ballistic blackmail?

QUESTION: Focused?

MR. BOUCHER: No, I think it's important to make very clear that we think
the North Koreans should not be compensated for agreeing to stop conducting
activities that they shouldn't be conducting in the first place. Our
long-standing policy that stems from the Agreed Framework of 1994 as well as
the Perry Report, has been that we are prepared to pursue a step by step
improvement in our relations with North Korea towards full economic and
political normalization. Naturally, in that process, there would be some
tangible benefits for North Korea. But we are prepared to discuss this kind
of normalization only in the context of North Korea addressing issues that
are of concern to the United States.

One of the issues of critical concern to the United States is North Korea's
missile activities. So as North Korea addresses these concerns and deals
with the missile question, we're prepared to continue along the path of
normalization. And, as I said, that will in the process involve benefits to
North Korea. But we are not in a position, we are not prepared to take
compensation to get them to stop doing something that they shouldn't be
doing in the first place.

QUESTION: How about the other related issue now that they are also talking about
compensation for the Quito slowdown. Anything on that?

MR. BOUCHER: No.

QUESTION: What does this do the prospects for the Secretary meeting --

MR. BOUCHER: Sorry. On Quito, we remain committed to making that work.

QUESTION: What does this do to the prospects of a meeting between the Secretary and
the Foreign Minister of ASEAN?

MR. BOUCHER: To quote the Secretary, stay tuned.

QUESTION: Stay tuned? It won't be a jovial meeting, will it?

QUESTION: Richard, can you give us what was earlier given on background on Bashar's
election, the referendum? Can you give it on the record?

QUESTION: Tell us about free and fair elections.

MR. BOUCHER: They have completed the referendum. They overwhelmingly
ratified the candidacy of Bashar Assad. As we all know, the parliament had
earlier unanimously approved his nomination.

These are the procedures spelled out in the Syrian constitution. And we
expect he will take the oath of office shortly.

As for our relationships, it's what the Secretary said when she was in
Damascus. She was impressed with his commitment to the peace process and
she observed that he seems poised and ready to assume his duties, is what
she said. So we look forward to discussing the peace process once he has
been inaugurated as president.

QUESTION: Apparently there is a rumor percolating that the US and Vietnam have
agreed in principle to normalize trade ties. Do you know anything about
this?

MR. BOUCHER: No, that's not something I have anything on USTR. You might
check with USTR on that.

QUESTION: Do you have anything on the Bahraini princess? I understand that you do.

MR. BOUCHER: Merely to tell you that it's a matter in the hands of the
Immigration Service. It concerns a pending hearing before a judge and the
case is in the purview of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

QUESTION: Have there been any talks between the State Department and the Bahrain
Government?

MR. BOUCHER: The only thing I can do is refer you to immigration on this.
I don't have anything to add.

QUESTION: But, Richard, back to Bashar for a second, has the Secretary or has any
official from the State Department called to say anything?

MR. BOUCHER: Not that I'm aware of.

QUESTION: Can we go to another individual case? The -

MR. BOUCHER: Let me check. I know the Secretary hasn't but let me check if
there is anything in Washington.

QUESTION: Anything about our grandmother in Kabul who was released by the Taliban?

MR. BOUCHER: The Taliban has made an announcement and our Embassy in
Islamabad has been able to confirm it. American citizen, Mary MacMakin and
her employees have been released by Taliban authorities. Ms. MacMakin has
been ordered to leave Afghanistan within 24 hours. We expect she will
arrive in Peshawar, Pakistan tomorrow. She has been accused of spying and
making anti-state propaganda.

First of all, we welcome her release. We believe the Taliban's charges
against her are ridiculous and that she should be allowed to continue her
important work in Afghanistan if she wants to. She has been very active for
years in assisting the Afghan people, affiliated with a prominent
non-government organization called PARSA, which is the Physiotherapy and
Rehabilitation Support for Afghanistan.

Our Embassy in Islamabad and State Department officials are continuing to
follow the case closely. Secretary Albright is personally concerned with
this matter and she is staying closely informed. And our Embassy in
Islamabad or consulate in Peshawar will take appropriate action to assist
her when she gets there.

QUESTION: Was there any readout of the meeting to the State Department of UN
officials and the Taliban in Kabul? They were supposed to brief the State
Department after the meeting.

MR. BOUCHER: That's not something I can comment on.

QUESTION: The Holum visit, the Chinese say they want real assurances that the United
States National Missile Defense is not going to affect their strategic
deterrent.

MR. BOUCHER: I hadn't seen the statement. I think Under Secretary Holum -
Senior Advisor Holum, he talked about it when he left. Now, Secretary Cohen
is in Beijing, too.

QUESTION: Right, that was from the Cohen visit.

MR. BOUCHER: I am sure he will be addressing those issues.

QUESTION: That was what the Chinese have continued to say, they want a real
assurance -

MR. BOUCHER: If there is any more detail on what they mean, I would expect
they will give it. They might talk about it with Secretary Cohen. But at
this stage, we've made quite clear the missile defense program is not
directed against China or Russia and it's we don't think an issue that
should affect the strategic stability that we have existing now.

QUESTION: Do you have any reaction yet from Beijing about the PHALCON decision?

MR. BOUCHER: Three hours ago? Not that I've heard.

QUESTION: Can you - on PHALCON --

MR. BOUCHER: No.

QUESTION: Is that one of the off-limit - is this a summit issue?

MR. BOUCHER: It was addressed this morning by Joe Lockhart.

QUESTION: But we still don't have an answer on whether it's a permanent agreement to
not - or whether it's a suspension.

MR. BOUCHER: That's a question he said we should ask the Israelis.

QUESTION: I assume he will also get to it for the later briefing? He said he would
try to get more clarification on that.

MR. BOUCHER: I think the only thing he said he might look into is exactly
when we were told, if I remember correctly.

QUESTION: Can you describe sort of as specifically as you can what it is that the US
was concerned about in terms of the capability that China would get --

MR. BOUCHER: I really don't want to go beyond what Joe said this morning.

QUESTION: How about this one which you may not also be - Iran's refusal to recognize
the judgment yesterday - was it yesterday - the 320 something --

MR. BOUCHER: I haven't seen the Iranian statement. But I think I can make
clear that we were very sympathetic to the families of Mr. Eisenfeld and Ms.
Ducker and any others who have suffered so cruelly at the hands of the
state, of state-sponsored terrorism. We have demonstrated, I think, to the
world our unwavering commitment to combat international terrorism. We are
trying everything we can consistent with the foreign policy interests of our
country to help these victims, to satisfy the judgments that they've
obtained. We're working also with members of Congress that will satisfy the
demands of justice without setting precedent that could endanger vital
American interests.

QUESTION: Does that mean that - is there anything in what the Secretary announced in
terms of the revisions and the policy that would affect plans to compensate
people who have been awarded these - this kind of judgment?

MR. BOUCHER: Funny you should - you would probably find some parallel to
the language I just used. In her speech on March 17th, the Secretary said,
"We are working with Congress to find a solution that will satisfy the
demands of justice without setting a precedent that could endanger U.S.
interests in the treatment of diplomatic and other property or that would
destroy prospects for a successful dialogue with Iran."

So we don't see those as incompatible. She mentioned that in the same
speech where she announced the easing of some of the embargoes.

QUESTION: Can you give a readout on the missile talks with North Korea?

MR. BOUCHER: It really just parallels exactly what Einhorn said. He did a
detailed readout. But I'll give you the basics. Do we have a transcript of
Einhorn?

MR. ERELI: We'll get one.

MR. BOUCHER: We can get you that if you want to go through it in more
detail.

QUESTION: I thought I already asked this question. Did I not?

QUESTION: Yes.

MR. BOUCHER: You asked about the billion dollars. On the actual discussion
--

MR. BOUCHER: We believe the talks were very useful. Remember, these talks
come after a 16-month hiatus and really no one was expecting major
breakthroughs. The three days in Kuala Lumpur gave us an opportunity to
exchange detailed views on our respective positions, to discuss proposals
that the US has put on the table regarding North Korea's missile exports and
its indigenous capabilities and to begin laying the groundwork for hopefully
making significant progress in the period ahead. So we believe the
discussions were very worthwhile.

QUESTION: Did the North Koreans say anything that you know about, Mr. Boucher, with
regard to not stemming their exports of missiles as long as the United
States was developing its National Missile Defense? Did that come out of
there, or do you know?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't want to try to characterize the North Korean position,
except to say that they did want to discuss export issues and export issues
are very important. As I mentioned, we discussed those as well as very
important issues that we have regarding North Korea's indigenous missile
capabilities and the threat that those capabilities pose to North Korea's
neighbors. So we talked about both missile exports and also about the
indigenous missile capability.

QUESTION: And testing?

MR. BOUCHER: That falls into the indigenous missile capabilities. They
reconfirmed their moratorium on testing.

QUESTION: Anything on the OAU summit ending with this kind of call for a United
States of Africa? I guess not.

How about on the release of the hostages in Fiji or of the nine hostages?

MR. BOUCHER: Release of the hostages. Well, we understand nine hostages
have been released from the parliamentary compound. There are still 18
hostages still being held captive. So we continue to call for immediate and
unconditional release of all the hostages.

There was also the Turtle Island resort issues and all 15 Americans have
safely departed the Turtle Island and are now on Viti Levu Island and they
are being assisted by the American Embassy. These 15 Americans are expected
to depart Fiji on Thursday or Friday.

QUESTION: What about the Americans that burned in the balloon? In Kenya?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm sorry to hear about it but I don't know anything about it.

QUESTION: Do you have anything on the US apparently joining the call for more
restrictions on the diamond trade out of Sierra Leone?

MR. BOUCHER: We have been working with the United Nations on the
resolution. I'm not exactly sure where it stands.

QUESTION: I think - (inaudible) - is now getting behind it but that doesn't mean
you'd have anything.

QUESTION: Holbrooke testified today --

MR. BOUCHER: Holbrooke testified this morning. We're working on a number
of resolutions on Sierra Leone and I can't remember if that's the one that
passed or if that's still --

QUESTION: Are you sponsoring it?

MR. BOUCHER: We can get something for you on that. We've been working on
it. And I think you know that our position has been that the UN forces need
to be capable of disrupting rebel operations in the diamond fields and that
will require a larger force size and a new mandate for the UN mission and so
we're going to seek recommendations on force size and mandate necessary to
accomplish the task and that's something we're also discussing with UN
Security Council members.

QUESTION: Is the US sponsoring that resolution?

MR. BOUCHER: The diamond one? I'll double check on that.

QUESTION: It's British.

MR. BOUCHER: I don't know if we're co-sponsoring it as well. I think we
may have been part of it.

QUESTION: Thank you. Briefing tomorrow?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, tomorrow we'll do it a little differently, I think.
Tomorrow, I'll be doing the Middle East briefing. Tomorrow's Thursday,
right?

QUESTION: Oh, that's right, Joe goes off --

MR. BOUCHER: Joe's said everything he has to say, so he's going to split.

QUESTION: Can you say at least background on the Middle East?

MR. BOUCHER: No. Joe will be here in an hour or two.

QUESTION: An hour or two?

MR. BOUCHER: Yeah. He was talking 4 o'clock.

QUESTION: So you're going to do something in the morning?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm going to try to do the same thing tomorrow, something in
the morning, something in the afternoon. And then at one of those
occasions, we'll just slip back here and talk about other issues.

QUESTION: Can we just ask you today about her schedule? Is her schedule going to be
blocked out through next week or how is that --

MR. BOUCHER: She's full time.

QUESTION: Through next week?

QUESTION: Through the summit.

QUESTION: Thank you.

QUESTION: Have you gleaned anything osmosis about when Clinton's leaving in terms of
tonight or tomorrow?

MR. BOUCHER: No, I've heard it both ways, frankly. So Joe will have that
pinned down by the time he gets back --

QUESTION: Is the weekend picture getting any clearer yet?

MR. BOUCHER: You mean like what we do Saturday?

QUESTION: Like next weekend, Saturday off? (Laughter.)

MR. BOUCHER: The President is here through the 18th. So we'll see if we
can try and get things wrapped up and worked out by then.